By Seyi Babalola
Following a plea by certain youths in Ondo State for the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, to be redeployed ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial election, the REC has denied the charges against her.
Babalola claimed that she does not have a preference candidate in the next election.
She stated that she had no clandestine contact with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa or the APC leadership.
Youths in the state, under the banner of the Ondo State Youth Vanguard, on Wednesday, during a protest to the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, accused the REC of having affiliation with the APC and that she had been secretly meeting with Aiyedatiwa ahead of the November 16 governorship poll.
While dismissing the allegations raised in a petition submitted to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, by the protesting youths, the REC stated that she had only been relating with all political parties.
She said, “It is not true; I didn’t hold any clandestine meeting with the governor or any member of any political party.
“In INEC, we relate with all political parties; I have been operating open door policies to all, and I don’t have any preferred candidate for the election. I am not a member of any political party.
“In this election, we will ensure every vote counts, and I promise, there won’t be any form of bias; the election will be free, fair, and credible.”
